Feasibility and Acceptability of Home-Delivered Medically Tailored Meals for Treatment of Diabetes in Pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes complicates ≤7% of pregnancies in the United States. Although medical nutrition therapy is the mainstay of diabetes treatment, many barriers exist to the successful implementation of dietary modifications. Home-delivered medically tailored meals (MTMs) are promising to overcome such barriers. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of home-delivered MTM in pregnant patients with diabetes. METHODS: We performed a prospective cohort study of home-delivered MTM for pregnant patients with diabetes using a mixed-methods approach. Participants <35 wk of gestation at the time of enrollment received weekly home delivery of diabetes-specific meals. Qualitative semistructured interviews were conducted to gain insight into participants' experience. Diabetes self-efficacy was assessed pre- and postintervention using the Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale and 2-Item Diabetes Distress Screening Scale. The difference in mean scores was compared using t-tests with P value of <0.05 considered significant. Feasibility and acceptability were evaluated through participants' attitude toward MTM in qualitative interviews and indirectly evaluated through diabetes self-efficacy surveys. RESULTS: Twenty pregnant people with diabetes who received home-delivered MTM during pregnancy were interviewed postpartum. Participants found this program convenient for various reasons, including reduced time for grocery shopping and preparing meals. Participants were satisfied with meals, citing a positive impact on diabetes management, accessibility of healthy foods, reduced stress with meal planning, and greater perceived control of blood glucose. Most participants shared meals with their families or received specific meals for their dependents, which was positively received. Reduced financial and mental stress was also widely reported. Diabetes self-efficacy was significantly improved postintervention with MTM. CONCLUSION: Home-delivered MTM is feasible and acceptable in pregnant patients with diabetes and may improve diabetes self-efficacy. Individual experiences offered insight into various barriers overcome by using this service. Home-delivered MTM may help ensure an accessible, healthy diet for pregnant patients with diabetes.

The Association between Psychosocial Stressors and Gestational Weight Gain: Analysis of the National Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Results from 2012 to 2015.

OBJECTIVE: Both psychosocial stress and gestational weight gain are independently associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Studies of the association between psychosocial stress and gestational weight gain (GWG) have yielded mixed results. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between psychosocial stress and GWG in a large population-based cohort. METHODS: Data from the nationally representative Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Phase 7 questionnaire 2012-2015 was utilized. Maternal psychosocial stress was assessed through response to questions designed to examine four domains of psychosocial stress (i.e., traumatic, financial, emotional, partner-related) three months prior to or during pregnancy. GWG was categorized using pre-pregnancy BMI and total GWG into inadequate, adequate, or excessive according to the Institute of Medicine's GWG guidelines. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between psychosocial stressors and adequacy of GWG. Analyses took into account complex survey design. RESULTS: All respondents who delivered ≥ 37 weeks gestation with GWG information available were included in the analysis (n = 119,183). After adjusting for confounders, patients who reported financial stress were more likely to experience excessive versus adequate GWG (RRR 1.09 [95%CI: 1.02-1.17]). Exposure to any of the stressor groups did not significantly increase the risk of inadequate GWG. CONCLUSIONS: This large, population-based study revealed that among pregnant people in the US, exposure to financial stress is associated with higher risk of excessive GWG. Understanding the role stress plays in GWG will help to inform initiatives targeting this important aspect of prenatal care.

Effects of Implementing a Routine Postpartum Fasting Blood Glucose on the Completion of the Gold Standard 2-Hour Oral Glucose Tolerance Test in Gestational Diabetics.

OBJECTIVE: Rates of completion of the gold standard 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for impaired glucose intolerance postpartum in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are consistently less than 50%. Screening tests performed prior to hospital discharge, including fasting blood glucose (FBG) to detect persistent hyperglycemia, have been investigated. We lack evidence, however, on whether implementation of routine postpartum FBG impacts the likelihood of obtaining the routine 2-hour OGTT. We sought to retrospectively compare the rates of completion of the 2-hour OGTT pre- and postimplementation of a routine FBG screen. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a single-center retrospective cohort study comparing the completion of the 2-hour OGTT pre- and postimplementation of a routine FBG screen. Our primary outcome was the completion of the postpartum OGTT. Bivariate analyses assessed associations between demographic and preinduction clinical characteristics by pre- and post-implementation groups, as well as OGTT completion. Multivariable logistic regression was used to control for possible confounders. A sensitivity analysis was performed to account for the overlap with the coronavirus disease 2019pandemic. RESULTS: In total, 468 patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In our post-intervention group, 64% of patients completed a postpartum FBG. For our primary outcome, completion of the 2-hour OGTT significantly decreased in our postintervention group from 37.1 to 25.9% (p = 0.009), adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.62, confidence interval (CI): 0.41-0.92. This difference was no longer statistically significant when excluding patients during the pandemic, from 40.3 to 33.1% (p = 0.228), aOR: 0.76, CI: 0.455-1.27. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a routine FBG was associated with a negative impact on patients completing a 2-hour OGTT. The difference was no longer significant when excluding patients who would have obtained the OGTT during the pandemic, which may have been due to the smaller cohort. Future work should investigate patient perceptions of the FBG and its impact on their decision-making around the OGTT. KEY POINTS: · Screening for postpartum glucose intolerance is imperative for gestational diabetics.. · A fasting blood glucose is recommended as a postpartum screen for hyperglycemia in GDM patients.. · Implementation of an FBG was associated with a decrease in completion of the gold standard OGTT..

Nutrition Education and Nutrition Knowledge Among Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents.

Background: Nutrition in pregnancy is a component of the Council on Resident Education in obstetrics and gynecology core curriculum; however, no studies currently examine adherence to this goal. Objectives: Our objective was to assess obstetrics and gynecology (Ob/Gyn) residents' education and knowledge surrounding nutrition in pregnancy, including (1) amount of dedicated didactic time to and attitudes toward, (2) subjective comfort in counseling patients on, and (3) objective knowledge of pregnancy-related nutrition. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional electronic survey-based study. A 28-item questionnaire was distributed to residents enrolled in Ob/Gyn training programs across the United States in 2022. Results: From 247 Ob/Gyn residency programs, 218 residents across postgraduate years and from geographically diverse locations consented to participation and completed all survey questions. Almost half (48%) of participants reported 0 hours per year of dedicated nutrition-related education, 49% reported 1-2 hours, and 3% reported >2 hours. Most residents (92%) strongly agreed or agreed that education regarding pregnancy-related nutrition guidelines would be useful for clinical practice. However, less than one-third (31%) of residents reported feeling comfortable counseling patients on nutrition in pregnancy. On assessment of residents' objective knowledge of pregnancy-related nutrition, mean percentage of correct responses was 74%. Conclusions: This study identifies a gap in graduate medical education, specifically a disconnect between the recognized impact of nutrition on pregnancy outcomes and residents' ability to confidently and effectively counsel patients on nutrition in pregnancy. Results demonstrate a need to develop curriculum and interventions to educate Ob/Gyn residents about pregnancy-related nutrition.